Carmelita Fox and the Unexpected Visit
by Evangeline Gray
Summary: Sly visits Carmelita on her patrols.
1. Chapter 1

Carmelita walked down the street, bored of her routine patrols of Paris. She turned a corner and saw the tip of a ringtail disappear down an alley. "Cooper!" she hissed as she ran to the mouth of the alley, looking down it. She did not see him, but there was nowhere for him to have run to. Tall buildings lined each side of the narrow passage and the end was capped by brick wall. She started down the alley, looking behind boxes and dumpsters for places that he may be lurking behind. She got to the end of the alley, not having had found the shady devil. When she started to head back towards the main street, her path was blocked. "Dios," She raised her pistol in surprise, automatically aiming it for a fatal shot.

He smiled charmingly, unfazed by the weapon aimed at him, leaning against his cane, "you look lovely tonight, mon ange."

Carmelita scowled at him, trying to hide the pleasure she got from his compliment. "Flattery is not going to work tonight, Ringtail, you won't distract me."

"Do I distract you, Inspector?"

"You can't talk your way out of this one; you are coming to the station with me."

"You know that I would love to go anywhere with you, maybe we could spend some time together off of the clock, but I really must be on my way. This was just a pit stop." He winked at her before he started to turn to leave the alley.

"You're not going anywhere. Make one move, and I'll fry you."

"Carmelita," her heart skipped a beat, hearing him say her name. "What are you going to arrest me for? I haven't even done anything." He glanced at the pistol that was still aimed at his chest. "Do you really think that, that is necessary?"

"Yes, you are a dangerous criminal that has a standing arrest warrant and you must be brought to justice."

Sly chuckled, "dangerous?" He took a step closer to her and she steadied her weapon.

"I'm warning you." He raised his eyebrows.

"You're not going to shoot me," he said taking another step quickly. His swift movement startled her and she took an instinctive step backwards. Her back was pressed against the wall. _Damn._

"Won't I?" she asked, taking a step forward and gripping her pistol.

He chuckled and shook his head. "No, then our rendezvous would be over." She glared into his light brown eyes, not going to admit that he was right.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

He smirked, "What do you mean?"

"If you haven't done anything wrong, you wouldn't be darting down dark alleys. But, you stopped me."

He paused for a moment before responding. Carmelita expected a witty remark, but instead got, "I just wanted to see you again." The sincerity of his voice caught her off guard. The smirk on his face turned into a shy smile and he glanced at the ground.

Carmelita shook her head, trying to get past his charming act. "Be serious, ringtail." He looked up into her eyes, and Carmelita could not be sure, but there might have been a hint of disappointment.

"Sorry, Inspector," he said, the playful smile returning. "I just can't help myself after I get lost in your striking eyes." Carmelita stared at him, unsure how much of what he was saying was true. He noticed that she had unintentionally lowered her shock pistol, having been distracted by their conversation. He took another step closer to her, pinning her against the wall with his cane. She was surprised and realized too late that he was springing at her. She could not move fast enough and her arms were hopelessly stuck beneath the wooden shaft.

"You no good, lowdown, dirty…" she fumed as she struggled to free herself.

"Why did _you_ come down the alley?" He asked her, interrupting the string of insults she was hurling at him.

Now it was her turn, "What?"

"I told you why I stayed, why did you follow me?"

"I was trying to catch you. I don't need to remind you that you are a criminal." He smirked, putting his face closer to hers. "What?!"

"What were you going to do with me after you caught me?"

She blushed deeply, "Come on; let me go, you are going to jail."

"You're not exactly in a position to be giving orders. Now, I can't help but wonder if your intentions weren't entirely pure."

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that maybe you enjoy our meetings as much as I do."

"Don't be ridiculous, this is strictly professional."

"Is it?" She could see that his eyes were full of mischievousness. His face was inches from hers. He put his face even closer to hers, his nose skimming the tip of hers. He could feel her heart beating faster and her breathing becoming more uneven.

"Don't you even dare." She warned, halfheartedly. Before she could threaten him anymore, he closed the small gap between their faces, kissing the trapped Inspector. He loosened his grip on the cane removing one hand from the shaft to cup her face. Carmelita freed her arms, but did not push him away as Sly had thought she would. Instead, she grabbed his shirt and pulled him closer to her. She pushed off of the wall, throwing her weight into him, and sent them both crashing to the ground. She sat up, straddling his waist, pinning him to ground. When she glared down at him, he was smiling impishly and innocently.

"Strictly professional," she repeated, glowering at him.

"I would love to continue," he said, reaching up as if to stroke her face. She pulled away from his hand, resulting in a smirk from him. "But like I said earlier, I must be going." He could hear sirens in the distance.

She heard them too. "What did you do?" she asked frowning at him.

"I haven't done anything; I've been here with you. Can you deny that we've been together?" He wiggled his eye brows.

"You used me as your alibi?"

"No, I just wanted to spend some time with you at the moment that there may have been a robbery." He said innocently. Sly could tell that Carmelita was losing her temper. Her fists were balled and tightly clutched the front of his shirt.

"Watch it, Inspector. I just ironed my shirt," he said, looking down at her fists. To that he thought that she may explode. Her temper was getting the better of her, and she was no longer thinking clearly. He grabbed her waist, hitting a pressure point. Perhaps his hand lingered for a moment longer than necessary on her exposed side. He then rolled quickly, making her lose her balance. She started to tip to one side, but tried to regain her balance too late. He rolled over her, grabbing her legs. He pushed her legs, pinning them to her chest with his. He leaned over her, keeping her arms down with his hands. He looked at her with a smug smile. She clenched her teeth and used her legs to push him off of her. He somersaulted backwards, standing up out of it. As she stood up he jumped, placing his hands on her shoulders, pushing himself to land behind her. "It's been a blast." He called as he darted down the alley. She turned to see his tail disappearing back onto the main street and fired a shot at it. His tail vanished completely and her blast hit a falling blue card. She raced down the alley, skidding to a stop once getting to the street. She looked in all directions, trying to pick up his trail. She could not see him anywhere. She balled her fists and angrily shook her head. The card had finished falling and landed, singed, at her feet.

"I'll find you Cooper!" She shouted into the night. All she got in return was a ghostly chuckle, already far in front of her.


	2. Chapter 2

Carmelita crashed into her chair in her office. She put her head on her desk as she reflected on her return to the office.

_"How'd he get away this time?" Someone called._

_"Another date with Sly Cooper?"_

_"Where did your boyfriend run off to?" _

Just to recall a couple of the questions hurled at her as she passed by her welcoming coworkers.

She picked her head up, and glared at the papers on her desk. Now that she had gone through the humiliation of losing Sly Cooper's trail she had to fill out the paper work about it. How did she let him get away? How did he always manage to just slip through her fingers? What was it about him that affected her the way no other criminal ever had? Despite giving her multiple headaches, she was always looking forward to one day arresting him, chasing him, seeing him. She gazed at the wall, thinking about him. Her door opening caught her attention. The chief was standing in the doorway, not looking pleased.

"Can I see you in my office?"

Carmelita took a deep breath, and followed the chief down the hallway. When they got to his office he continued to his seat. "Shut the door."

Carmelita did as she was told, closing the door behind her.

"Inspector Fox, can you explain the events of tonight?"

She swallowed before answering. "Well, sir, I was patrolling the streets, as I usually do, when I thought that I saw someone run down an ally. I thought that it was strange so I went to investigate. I found Sly Cooper there. I tried to arrest him, but he managed to escape."

"Again," Chief Barkley added to the end of her story.

"Yes, sir, again." She glanced at the ground, avoiding the disapproving stare of the chief.

"This has happened far too many times, Fox."

Carmelita looked up again. "I know, chief, I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

He stared firmly at her. "You're right, it won't. I'm taking you off of the Cooper case."

"What? No! You can't. I am so close to catching him."

"Not by my measure. You have let him slip too many times. I think that you have personal feelings clouding your judgment on this case."

"How- What- Why-" Carmelita stammered. "I do not. Please, you can't do this."

"No more. You're off the case and that is it. You are dismissed."

It took her a moment before she could move. Carmelita left the chief's office hollowly. Taken off the Cooper case? What would she do now?

* * *

_Okay, for anyone that wanted an extension of this... here we go. Has this idea been done before? I think so. If this is not original enough, sorry. If you think something different should happen, let me know. I have no real plan for this story..._

_Thank you for showing interest. It means a lot _:D


	3. Chapter 3

By the time Carmelita got back to her office she was mad. No, not just mad; wrathful. Who did the chief think he was taking her off of this case? She built it, and she was going to close it, dammit. She could not stay in the building for one moment longer. Just seeing her board full of information about Sly rubbed it in her face that she could not solve this case. She stormed out of the office. If she couldn't catch him while working on the case, maybe she could do it alone.

She got in her car and drove… like you know she does. She drove around the dark Paris streets until the sun was just a few minutes from rising. When the low gas light came on she guided her car to the nearest gas station. She waited for her tank to fill up, glaring across the street with her arms crossed. As she stood there a deluge started to descend from the sky. She shifted her focus from a spot across the street to the sky.

"Really? What else do you have for me?" she shouted to the sky. A bolt of lightning illuminated the clouds as a clap of thunder boomed causing her fur to stand on end. She stood in the rain, shivering as the downpour soaked through her clothes. She kicked the side of her car, leaving a foot shaped dent.

When the tank was filled and she paid, she got back in her car and drove soggily back to her apartment.

Murray watched as Carmelita sped away in the rain. He journeyed back to where he had hidden the Cooper Van, and started to drive back to the safe house.

* * *

_Sorry that this is so short, but I wanted to update, and this is all I have. This is the only story that I am currently posting that I have no plans for. It may take me a while to update in the future because I am still writing this one... I really intended this to be a one-shot, but we'll see what happens. So please don't be impatient or disappointed if I don't post new chapters for this as often as other stories. if you have suggestions, please let me know._


	4. Chapter 4

Carmelita dropped her wet jacket on the back of a chair. It landed with a soft thud due to its newly increased weight. She removed the rest of her wet clothes, and found a towel to help dry off her fur. She grumbled various curses, as she located dry clothes, and then proceeded to pull the curtains in her room firmly shut, blocking out the light from the rising sun. Without even bothering to dry her hair, Carmelita climbed into bed, and pulled the covers up to her chin. It was time to put this day to rest already, considering everything that had occurred. As the vixen lay curled on her side with her eyes closed, she heard her window slowly open. She opened her eyes, seeing a shaft of light appear from the movement of the curtains. She reached for the shock pistol she usually kept on the side table whenever she slept, silently congratulating herself for doing so. Wind, and the soft sound of rain falling, grew louder with the window fully opened. When she heard wet feet hit the floor of her room, she sat up, and aimed the shock pistol all in a fluid movement.

"Freeze!" she shouted, squinting to see through the darkness.

"Whoa," came a very familiar voice. "Is this any way to treat a guest?"

"Cooper?" She fixed her gaze on her 'guest' with a hard look in her eyes. "What are you doing here? Get out!"

"Carmelita, relax," the rain soaked raccoon said, warily eyeing the shock pistol aimed at him. He raised his paws to reside next to his head. Carmelita noticed that his hands were free of his family cane, but shook the thought from her head.

"_Relax?_" Carmelita hissed, as she stood up. "You break into my apartment, and after what you did ugh-. And then you tell me to _relax?_" She approached him angrily, her glare unrelenting. Sly remained silent, watching every one of her movements with a concerned look in his eyes. They were soon face to face, the vixen's anger escalating with every step.

"What happened?" he asked softly, the genuine concern catching Carmelita off guard. As quickly as she could, she returned to her angry stare, tossing as many silent insults as she could at him.

"_You_ happened, you no good crook!" Although Carmelita stilled gripped her shock pistol, she did not move to use it. Instead, she struck him in the chest with her fist, resulting in a small wince from the thief. She struck him again. "I was thrown off the case, all because of what you did!" As she continued to pound her fist into his chest, she could feel tears starting to form in her eyes. "My reputation is ruined, and it's all _your fault!_"

He seemed unfazed by the blows, instead, allowing Carmelita to continue with her attack. Her blows eventually began to soften, until she finally seemed to tire, and simply rested her fists on Sly's chest. Carefully, the raccoon wrapped his arms around the now sobbing vixen, and pulled her against him. Her tears mixed with the rain water that had already soaked his sweater.

"I'm sorry," he murmured into her ear, resting his chin in her soft blue curls. "I didn't realize something like that could happen."

Almost reluctantly, Carmelita pushed him away. Embarrassment caused her to quickly wipe the tears from her cheeks, as she turned away, and scowled at a point on the wall. "Right, because someone like you wouldn't _accidentally_ make my life miserable."

Sly felt like he'd been stabbed in the heart, but ignored her harsh words for now, as he placed his paws gently on her shoulders. "I never wanted to make you miserable."

Carmelita angrily shrugged his paws off her shoulders. She turned around, and shot him a venomous glare. "I don't care what you want, Cooper," she spat his name out, "just go away, and never come back here again, you hijo de puta."  
Every one of these words cut Sly deeply, but he refused to turn away from her.

"Carmelita," he started softly, "I really never meant for this to happen."

"Well, that doesn't matter now, does it?" she argued. "You've always been a no good criminal, and you always will be."

"You make me out to be such a bad guy; all I do is a little thieving."

"Thieves don't only steal things like diamonds. They can steal lives and homes, and innocence." She glared at the ground and flattened her ears against her head. "When I was young I saw the worst of what a thief could do. Mi papa was called to work on a case of a couple found dead in their home. We had gone out that day; it was supposed to be a special day, for just us. On our way back home, the police radio called him in to look at a scene. He told me to stay in the car, but I was just so curious. It was foolish of me to not listen to my papa. After he went into the building, I snuck out of the car and crept towards the door. What I saw I'll never forget. It was awful; Dios, those poor people looked like they were in so much pain."

Tears started streaming down Carmelita's cheeks again as she recalled her memory. "The house was a wreck, pictures of the family were broken the door was splintered and there was so much blood." She took a deep breath before continuing. "The next thing I remember was being on my knees, and my father turning around to see me. He scooped me up, and brought me home. He sat me down and told what had happened. He said that thieves had broken into their house and killed them. He said that they had a son who was now an orphan, who no longer had a mama and papa to love him. He explained that it was his job to stop people that would do that. He stopped people that would steal a family that way. And that's why I work to stop _all_ criminals. I work to stop thieves so nothing like that will happen. I work to avenge the people that have been robbed of anything."

She turned her hardened gaze back to the raccoon. She was surprised to see that there were tears in his eyes as well. She would have continued, but his violent and grief-stricken expression had her silent.

"Did you ever catch the names of those people?" She shook her head, still shocked into silence by the intensity from the normally carefree man. "Their name was Cooper." Carmelita's mouth fell open slightly, from her surprise.

"You mean…?"

Sly nodded, his eyes still hard. "My parents were murdered by the fiendish five. I was the boy that was left alone and shipped off to an orphanage. I watched the whole thing." He squeezed his eyes shut at the painful memory. "I was saved because my father hid me in a closet. If he hadn't given his life, I might not have mine now. That's why I steal. I worked to take back what was mine. I stole back the book of my ancestors, the heirloom that was supposed to be passed from one generation to the next, one of the only connections I had left of my family. I needed to honor their memory." He opened his eyes again to lock his with the Inspector's. She wanted to wrap her arms around him and take his pain. Surely even a thief did not deserve such a past.

A faint rueful smile was hinted at on his lips, making Carmelita start slightly. For a moment, she was caught up in how handsome he was, especially with the way his brown eyes sparkled with a certain sincerity to them. Anger at herself, welled up in her chest, as she realized she was being rather unreasonable towards the raccoon.

* * *

_um so this is kind of not finished... but i think it's been a long time since i have updated and i figured i'd post what i have._  
_I had some help with this one so some parts may sound prettier than other parts. thank you to my collaborator.  
It may be a while before another update because I still don't know what to do with this story. If you have ideas, please let me know.  
Sorry if this was funky, but I had some short 'scenes' that I had written and kind of stitched together. I may end up changing it... we'll see.  
Thank you for reading, let me know what you think :D_


	5. Chapter 5

"I think that maybe it was all meant to happen." She looked back, confused as to where he was taking the monologue. "If none of that had happened, then we wouldn't be here right now. I wouldn't have met the two guys that I call my brothers, or a lovely Inspector that is oh so motivated to catch me." A slight mischievous light returned to his eye. He smiled softly at her which filled her with awe. The man had lost everything at such a young age, and he still found a bright side. "You keep me at my best." Carmelita was unsure as to how or when Sly had moved, but he was now less than an arm's reach away. "Without you so close behind me, I wouldn't be anywhere near as good a thief. And it wouldn't have been as much fun." Pink splashed across Carmelita's face as Sly ran his fingers across her cheek, and stopped to cup her face. "So, thank you, Carmelita Montoya Fox for making my life so much better." Her breathing sped up as he got closer to her, and stopped for a moment when he put his lips on hers. He broke the kiss to kiss her on the forehead. She wrapped her arms around him and put her head against his neck. They stood like that for a minute, not wanting to leave the moment. Once they let go they would have to go back to being police officer and thief.

"What do we do now?" He asked quietly.

"I don't know," she answered honestly.

Before they could ruminate any longer, a new voice broke through. "Sly Cooper, release her, and come quietly, you are under arrest."

The startled two turned towards the still open window. They saw a man with a standard Interpol issue shock pistol trained on Sly.

"I am not going to say it again, release her and come quietly."

"What's going on?" Carmelita asked, stepping slightly in front of Sly.

"I am here to arrest this criminal. Please step aside, I do not wish to harm you."

"I am Inspector Carmelita Montoya Fox from Interpol, lower your weapon there is no threat here."

"I know who you are, Inspector. I'm Inspector William Brooke; I was just assigned to the Cooper case in your place. I trailed him here and he is coming to the station with me. Now step aside before I arrest you as well for aiding a criminal."

"I will not step aside, lower your weapon."  
"Carmelita, please. I'll go with him." Sly begged her to stop arguing. He stepped around her to surrender to Inspector Brooke.  
Carmelita stood in her room with her mouth agape while Inspector Brooke fastened Sly's wrists behind his back.  
"I can't let you do this."  
"Carmelita, it's okay." He was shoved towards the door. Before he was out of sight he mouthed something to her. The door closed and she was left alone. As her senses returned she ran to her dresser. She pulled out a pair of jeans and a tank top. She quickly dressed and ran out of the door to follow them.  
_What is he doing? _She thought frantically as she sped to the station. She parked in front of the building and darted inside. She paid little mind to all of the empty desks and offices as she ran down the stairs to the interrogation rooms and holding cells. She found people spilling out of the observation room to one of the interrogation rooms. The officers whispered to each other as she pushed past them to look into the interrogation room. Sly was sitting at the table, looking up at Inspector Brooke. Sly's hands were still bound behind his back and he sat tranquilly in the chair.  
"What were you doing in Inspector Fox's apartment?"

* * *

_So, sorry that it took so long to post not much. I should have more soon, but this is all there is right now. Thank you to bestpersonyouwilleverknow for the idea. If anyone else has comments, please let me know. I don't bite, really. I may even change this around a little, I'm not sure. So thank you all for reading and I hope to have something else for you soon._


	6. Chapter 6

"What were you doing in Inspector Fox's apartment?"  
"I went to visit her. She looked upset after our last meeting and I wanted to see if she was alright."  
"And why is she of any concern to you?"

Sly stared at the table for a moment, then back up at his new pursuer. "Who else would keep track of Interpol's employees?"

"Well, that is very noble of you. And remind me, what were you doing last night?"

"I was out on a stroll. I ran into our Inspector there. I heard that there was a robbery around that time too. Aw man, I'm glad that I had Inspector Fox around to protect me. There are some dangerous people out there."

"You think you're really cute, don't you? Well, I'm here to tell you that your days of slipping away are through."

"Listen, I know that I'm cute. And I also know that I'm done 'slipping away'. I'm turning myself in, giving up and going straight."

Carmelita stood watching this scene in shock through the one way mirror

"See, Fox, that is how you handle a criminal. Brooke found him and brought him in, in one day."

Carmelita was barely able to cover the angry glare she wanted to give the chief. "Sir, something is not right. He's acting differently."

"He's finally realized that it is useless to try to outrun Interpol."

Inspector Brooke called a couple of officers into the interrogation room to escort Sly to a holding cell. Once the show was ending, the people in the observation room went back to their work.

"This is finally over. It took too long, but it's finally over." The chief left Carmelita to go back to his office.

Carmelita made her way to the holding cell where Sly was being kept.

"Carmelita," he seemed surprised to see her. "What are you doing here?"

"I should ask you the same question. I belong here in Interpol, you don't."

"Isn't this where you've always wanted to see me?"

She crossed her arms, "yes, but not like this. You should at least be paying for crimes that you actually committed."

"I did break into your place though. That is surely against some law. The window was unlocked, so it was trespassing at least."

"Don't you realize where you are? This is serious."

"Carm, relax. It will be okay."

"You keep telling me to relax, and it doesn't help."

"Hey, querida, listen to me, this is for the best, I promise."

She huffed away and stormed to Inspector Brooke's desk.

"What the hell was that?" She hissed at him.

"Excuse me?"

"You capturing Cooper. Who do think you are-?"

"Inspector Fox." He interrupted her. She glared at him in silence. "It was my job to capture Sly Cooper. Just like it was your job. The difference is that I could actually do it. Now, I suggest you go home and get some sleep before you do something to get yourself arrested along with your boyfriend." Inspector Brooke turned and walked away from her.

She fumed silently, glaring daggers into his back as he walked away.

* * *

_Guys, I am so sorry that I am only writing in small increments. I will be working some more on this story, but it is going to take some time. Ideas are helpful and appreciated. Thank you for reading!_


	7. Chapter 7

Carmelita slammed the door to her room behind her. She kicked off her shoes after angrily plopping down on her bed. She grumbled to herself as she lay down. She pulled a pillow over her face and yelled into it. She removed the pillow and took a deep breath. She glared at the ceiling until her eyelids got too heavy to remain open. Carmelita was starting to relax when she heard her door creak. She groaned as she opened her eyes and sat up. _What now?_

With the late morning light pouring in from the window, Carmelita could see a small turtle wheeling farther into her room. She quickly surveyed the room for her shock pistol, not being able to find it.

"And the fun goes on." she muttered.

"Inspector Fox," the nasally turtle started. "You must be surprised to see me."

"That's putting it mildly. What do you want?"

"The same thing you want: to get Sly out of jail."

"Why would I want that? That's where I've been working so hard to put him."

"Well, until you got kicked off of the case."

"How did you know that?"

"I'm not in handcuffs… And I hacked into the police records."

"I could arrest you for that."

"But, then I couldn't tell you what else I found there, that I am sure would interest you greatly."

"If you got the information illegally, I don't want to hear it."

"Even if it was about Sly? About what their plan is for him."

"There is no plan. They'll hold him until it's time for him to plea. Then deal with him from there. He'll probably plea 'not guilty' and he'll go to trial."

"That is what is supposed to happen, yeah."

"Supposed to happen? That's the law."

"There is talk about just sending him to a high institution prison, no trial."

"They can't do that!"

"There is buzzing that since he has so much on his record, he doesn't need to plea; he's just guilty. If they do that, he'll spend the rest of his life in jail."

"He can bargain though, he can reduce his sentence."

"He wouldn't give me or Murray up."

"Turn yourselves in."

"That wouldn't help him. The only thing that would help him would be for him to get out of there."

"I'm not going to help him break out, or let you break him out. He was arrested; this is the law, now he has to pay for his crimes."

"Even if he let himself get arrested to be with you?"

"What are you talking about?"

"He broke in to your place with the intention of getting arrested. He knew that Inspector Brooke was watching him."

"How could he? He didn't even know that I was off the case."

"Murray saw you at the gas station and told us that you looked upset. Sly was going to try to find out what was wrong. As he was on his way here he noticed that he was being followed. He called us with his binocucom saying that he wouldn't be coming back. He figured that getting arrested would be what you wanted. He didn't know that Interpol wouldn't even give him a chance."

Carmelita shook her head wearily.

"So, Inspector Fox, what will it be? Will you help us?"


	8. Chapter 8

"I can't."

Bentley sat silently in his chair, having expected this answer. "I know."

"If you knew I couldn't help you, why did you come here in the first place, to torture me?"

"I just thought that you should know."

"There is nothing I can do. The law is the law. The chief already is on me because I couldn't catch Sly. If I so much as say something about their plans, he'll think the worst. I could lose my job or get my badge taken away. What would I do without this job?" Carmelita glanced sleepily at the floor. "It's my life. I've worked so hard to get where I am. It wasn't easy to move up in the ranks and to earn respect. It took a long time before they took me seriously; as anything more than a pretty face. Could I really give it up to help a criminal? Would it even help him? Would he just go back to his life of crime"

Carmelita looked back up to find herself alone. She stared at the spot where the wheelchair bound turtle used to be, unsure if he was ever actually there. She lay back down on her bed and fell asleep almost immediately.

* * *

_Who the hell is calling me now?_ Carmelita thought as the sound of the ringing phone woke her up. She reached for the phone and answered it without opening her eyes.  
"Hello?"  
"Inspector Fox? I've been trying to reach you."  
"Who is this?"  
"Inspector Brooke, we need you to come down to the station immediately. We have to talk to you."

* * *

"Carm," Sly breathed. "I wasn't sure when you were coming back."

Instead of words she gave him a blank stare.

"What is it? What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong. You are going to get a trial. It is scheduled for next week. It looks like you'll be able to talk your way out of this one."

"That's great, then we can be together."

Carmelita looked at the floor. "I don't think so, Ringtail."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, there is no 'us'."

"What about in your apartment?"

"That was a moment of my vulnerability. It shouldn't have happened and I won't let it happen again."

"Carm, come on, you can't be serious. What are you doing?"

She looked him in the eye with no emotion. "I am putting an end to this. Whatever you thought we had is over."

"Hey, no, don't say that. I know that we have something."

"No, we really don't. Maybe you're just not thinking clearly enough. This is for the best."

"I don't believe you. What are you playing at?"

"Look, this is not a game, this is serious. I don't love you, and I never did."

"Stop saying that."

"Fine, you don't seem to understand, anyway." She sighed. "I won't be visiting you again."

"Will you be at the trial?"

Carmelita looked at the ground again. "Yes, I'll be there." She looked at the clock on the wall. "I have to go."

"Please don't."

"I have a job to do. Now that you're not out there I can focus on catching other criminals." She turned to leave.

"Wait," he grabbed her arm from between the bars to prevent her from moving. "if you really never loved me, then you can go. Leave me here and we carry on as no more than cop and robber. But if for even a second you felt something for me too, then please stay for just a little while longer."

Her back was still to him and his restraining hand on her arm fell away, allowing her to make her choice. For a moment she remained still. Sly awaited her decision anxiously. She took a step forward, crushing his spirit and continued until she was out of room. She closed the door behind her and with her back pressed against it, slunk to the floor. She sat on the floor crying for a moment before addressing her audience.

"Are you happy now?"

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_Is this confusing? yes! and I am sorry about that. I will hopefully be able to clarify a couple of things in upcoming chapters. This was an idea from Nocturnal Shinobi. I don't remember what story this idea was intended for, but I really liked the idea for this. Thank you to all the read, review, and give suggestions. It is all appreciated!_


	9. Chapter 9

_Guys, I am so sorry for the very long wait. Thank you for all of the kind comments and your patience. I will update again as soon as possible. I have an ending written, I just need another middle chapter to tie it together. Thank you for reading!_

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"All rise for the honorable Judge Garland."

As requested, the people in the court room rose as the judge entered the room. When the judge was seated, the audience members took their seats as well. Carmelita stared at the back of Sly's head for a moment. His hair was combed smoothly instead of arranged in its usual spikes. He was wearing a white button down shirt that seemed to be a size too big for him and a tie that he kept tugging away from his neck. The trial started, but Carmelita didn't pay much attention to the proceedings.

"The defense calls Inspector Fox to the stand."

Carmelita was pulled from her own thoughts as she was called to testify for Sly Cooper. She got up stiffly and walked to take her place at the witness stand. As she was sworn in, she watched Sly. His eyes were fixed on the table in front of him as if he refused to look at her.

"Do you swear to tell the truth the whole truth and nothing but the truth so help you God?"

"I do." She took her seat.

"Inspector Fox, are you now or have you ever been in a romantic relationship with Mr. Cooper?"

"The only relationship I have been in with Mr. Cooper is a professional one."

"Your coworkers seemed to think differently."

"My coworkers did not understand how I was going about catching Mr. Cooper. Mr. Cooper tended to fantasize about me and stalk me when I was out on patrols. I was using his obsession to catch him. Whatever relationship it appeared we had was all in Mr. Cooper's head. How could I love someone like him? He's a dirty thief."

Carmelita made a point to not look at Sly.

"Let's hold off on the name calling, please. So you would not have any personal feelings for Mr. Cooper clouding your professional opinion of his sentencing?"

"Of course not, I know how to separate reality from fantasy."

Carmelita could feel her words cutting Sly but she still refused to look at him. More questions were asked of her. She answered them mechanically. At the end of the string of questions she was allowed to leave the witness stand and take her seat. As she passed him, she could see that Sly's shoulders were hunched in defeat.

Carmelita pretended to focus on the case as more witnesses were called. Inspector Brooke sat in the witness stand and was answering questions.

"How long have you known Mr. Cooper?"

"I've known of him for years; he is quite the notorious thief. But, I was only put on his case a couple of weeks ago."

Carmelita stopped listening to the Inspector. Her thoughts took her back to the meeting he called her to.

_"Inspector Fox, please take a seat."_

_She closed the door to the chief's office and sat in one of the chairs as the chief had said. The chief was seated at his desk with his fingers laced together on top of his paper work. Inspector Brooke was sitting on the edge of the chief's desk with his arms crossed across his chest._

_"What is going on?" She asked hesitantly._

_"We'd like to talk to you about Sly Cooper."_

_Carmelita swallowed but did not react otherwise. "What about him?"_

_"Did you know that he has enough on his record to send him to jail without a trial?"_

_"It doesn't surprise me. But you wouldn't send a person to prison without giving them a chance to defend themselves, would you?"_

_Chief Barkley and Inspector Brooke exchanged a look. "If the criminal was surely guilty of his crimes, shouldn't he be held responsible, Inspector Fox?" Brooke chimed in._

_"Of course a criminal should pay for his crimes, but there should be justice, not revenge. He should have a fair trial. If he truly is guilty, the court will punish him accordingly."_

_"And you've never taken the law into your own hands?"_

_Carmelita was silent._

_"If you want Sly Cooper to have a trial, you are going to testify." Chief Barkley said._

_"No one will trust what I say."_

_"They will if you lose all of your ties to him. If there is no reason to think that you are protecting him, they will believe you." Inspector Brooke said._

_"What are you saying?"_

_"You need to drop him, forget about him. You need to say you don't care about him, and it had better be true." He explained. _

_"Why are you doing this?"_

_"It's better this way for everyone. This way there is less of a chance of him contesting the sentencing and you will be free of him." reasoned the chief._

Carmelita was pulled from her thoughts by the sound of her name.

"Yes, Inspector Fox and I were working together to catch Sly Cooper. I had her lure him to her apartment so I could arrest him. Things seemed to get a little out of hand, maybe his fantasy got away from him. I was able to jump in and stop things before anyone got hurt though."

"Thank you, Inspector." The attorney said. "No further questions."

Inspector Brooke stood and left the witness stand.

"I think it is time for a short recess." Judge Garland said.


	10. Chapter 10

"What was that?" Carmelita hissed as she caught up with Inspector Brooke.

"Excuse me?" He stopped outside of the courtroom doors.

"Why did you say that we were working together, it wasn't true."

He started walking again toting Carmelita by the arm to join him. "As far as anyone in there knows it _is_ true. And if you keep your voice down it will stay that way."

She pulled her arm out of his grip and stopped in the hallway. "Why did you say that?"

He sighed and crossed his arms. "It looks better this way. Now we are all in the clear."

"Except Sly."

"Why do you care? He's a criminal and now he's going to jail. You may think that he should get special privileges because he's charming or because he flirts with you, but it just doesn't work that way."

"I won't stand for this. This is against the law!"

"Inspector Fox, it is done. If you say something now, it would be awful for Interpol and you know it. All you need to do is keep quiet."

"I can't do that."

"Then I can't let you back into that courtroom." Inspector Brooke caught a bailiff who was walking by. "Excuse me, can you please take Inspector Fox here to her apartment. She is quite upset and not herself right now. It is in her best interest to get some rest."

"I will not leave, you can't do this."

"You see, she's raving. Make sure she gets home safely."

"Brooke, you lousy son of a-"

"Come along." The bailiff interrupted her. He put his hands on her shoulders and started to guide her away.

"Let go of me! Brooke! Stop this!"

"Inspector Fox, do you really think it's wise to make a scene?" Brooke said in a low voice. "If you tell anyone about this, you won't save him. It is not going to help anything. He'll still go to jail and you'll tarnish your name."

She brushed the bailiff's hands off of her shoulders. "If it stopped you, I would bring myself down too. I won't be a part of your lie."

"Think about it, you could lose your job. What else do you have?"

Carmelita started at Brooke in a dazed rage.

"Take her out of here," he instructed the bailiff. Carmelita was escorted from the courthouse and put into a cab.

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_I changed a little bit of the last chapter so I was able to write this. Hopefully i'll have a new chapter soon. Thank you all for reading!_


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